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This is becoming a disturbing pattern although it sure is looking good for Audi. Just earlier this month Car and Driver picked the S6 over the new M5. Insideline also gave a scathing review of the new 640i GranCoupe. Now MotorTrend joins the fray picking the Audi S4 over the new 335i. The Audi significantly outperforms the 335i running 12's in the 1/4 mile stock with a 12.9@108.7. The 335i runs a 13.5@103.9. When is the last time BMW's direct competitor for an Audi model lagged this far behind? We all grew accustomed over the past couple decades to it being the reverse.

It is not just the acceleration that is the issue, the braking performance of the BMW is very poor in comparison to the S4. 131 feet versus 108 to stop from 60? That is a rather large difference.

Handling performance also was in the S4's favor pulling .91g's and a 25.6 seconds around their figure 8. The 335i took 26.7 seconds around the figure 8 managing .86g's. The all seasons no doubt hurt it a bit but this does not change the fact the Audi crushed it here by over a second.

It isn't even the performance necessarily but the steering is muted on the 3 Series, it is more expensive than the Audi, gets worse fuel economy, and the electronics get in the way. MotorTrend says this is odd and to us it is almost like the twilight zone.

BMW is falling off whether fans want to admit it or not. The new 328i raised the bar on the low end but in the mid-range of the lineup BMW is not innovating in the way they did when the 335i was first introduced. Perhaps the way to look at it is simply that Audi is getting much better. We wish BMW would get out of their slump already since changing over to the turbo motors. Clearly some of the magic is gone. The question is, will they get it back?

This. All of the numbers are suspect since they tested the cars with different class rubber. It can be argued that BMW shouldn't put all season tires on a RWD 335, but the fact is that the differences in tire in this comparo can certainly be the cause for the differences in skidpad and braking numbers. The Audi will still likely win at the strip due to AWD, but certainly the 335 would fare better there with better tires as well.

I'm a little glad BMW is getting slammed, maybe they will wake up and realize that SOME of their cars should focus on efficiency and being green while others need to have their performance credentials left in tact. The type of buyer who passes on the 328i and goes for bigger engine is obviously not interested in a tiny fraction of a mile per gallon, so why would they want all season tires and electronic power steering? It's not just about numbers in a magazine, it's readily apparent when you drive a car that has been hamstrung by all season runflat tires and electronic power steering. It's a sad reality that whenever I consider a BMW these days, I have to factor in the cost of new tires, set aside time to remove the clutch delay valve, etc.

If one is runnong all-seasons, they should do half of the tests in snow for it to be even remotely fair.Is BMW offering all seasons with the cars as std equipment? I cannot believe it. In my country they wouldn't even think of anything like that. Those are plain dangerous. The stopping distance is affected bythe tires almost entirely. Anyone can see that if the wall waswhere Summer tires stopped, all seasons just crashed to it hard.

Im Glad i have a DIESEL but I am a bit surprised, true be it I recall a gentleman once told me when i told him I was buying a BMW, He stated "I used to own Bimmers until I ran into the QUATTRO, they drive better and perform better than BMW, think twice before you buy" Well I test drove the DIESEL and make no mistake one year old and 15k later Im still SMILING with my bimmer!!!

If one is runnong all-seasons, they should do half of the tests in snow for it to be even remotely fair.Is BMW offering all seasons with the cars as std equipment? I cannot believe it. In my country they wouldn't even think of anything like that. Those are plain dangerous. The stopping distance is affected bythe tires almost entirely. Anyone can see that if the wall waswhere Summer tires stopped, all seasons just crashed to it hard.

Ya, they suck. They don't give you the grip that summer tires have on dry surfaces, and also they don't work on wet like winter tires. Worst of both worlds. They are just good for lazy people.

i dont think the tester put on the all season tires. So if bmw is so stupid to deliver a test car with all season tires.... well then they deserve the bad outgoing of this comparison. Probably they have better things to do at the moment.
at least this test gives me reasons to keep my 335d.

I liked the new 3 series when it came out, but after some times it already feels boring (optically) for me. While the E9X LCI/FL still looks very good, kind of a timeless design.
I like my E91 always more and more and i miss nothing ... well, maybe the 8 speed automatic transmission but thats really the only thing.

i dont think the tester put on the all season tires. So if bmw is so stupid to deliver a test car with all season tires.... well then they deserve the bad outgoing of this comparison. Probably they have better things to do at the moment.
at least this test gives me reasons to keep my 335d.

I liked the new 3 series when it came out, but after some times it already feels boring (optically) for me. While the E9X LCI/FL still looks very good, kind of a timeless design.
I like my E91 always more and more and i miss nothing ... well, maybe the 8 speed automatic transmission but thats really the only thing.